Divergent: A Different Direction
by Scarred Secrets
Summary: A young nurse with a dangerous secret is caught in a war, both within her mind and in reality. Eric is dangerous, terrifying, his ledger stained crimson. Will there be redemption? Or is fate forever the same? (I dunno what I am doing with this yet, I needed to get it out though!)
1. Chapter 1

It's wrong. She knows it is wrong with every fiber of her being, yet she keeps her head bowed and remains obedient. Ava was selfish, she wanted to preserve her own life, she was to young to not have a future. Yet the nagging in her gut never ceased, always pulsating within her as she forced smiles during conversations with her family, pounded at her when she would remain silent as she went about her duties in the hospital. When she would see Jeanine, the rare times they were, she could barely contain her disgust, her face struggling to remain passive and not contort into an expression mixed between hatred and anger.

Constantly she fought with herself. Stay and continue on knowing innocent people were being killed, or leave, disappear into the factionless and perhaps become the next casualty of this war. It was one of those times now, Ava realized, as she slowly went through the names posted on her clipboard. Erudite and Dauntless traitors. She doesn't want to treat them, but she stiffly selects a patient by number, retrieves her tablet and enters the information. On a board behind the nurses station her name pixelates next to the pod number her patient waited for her in. Setting the clipboard on the desk Ava makes her way down the pristine white hallways until arriving at her destination.

She doesn't knock, a minor infraction but one she uses as an outlet to curb her need to defy. She enters swiftly the door automatically falling shut behind her. The green of her eyes instantly meet angry blue ones. She glances quickly at her tablet and realized in her random patient selection she had somehow picked one of the worst ones. Dauntless leader, Eric. She fixes her eyes back to his, noting the sneer on his face, "You're supposed to knock." He hisses.

Ava blinks back a look of outrage, lips settling in a firm line. She would not react to him, she would not accidently administer the wrong medications, she will not slip and cut a major artery while extracting a bullet. Mantras she repeated over and over in her head, "Apologies, it will not happen again." Is her curt reply as she advances to the bed he is sat on, legs splayed over the side. That is when she takes the time to observe the blossom of dried blood around the hole in his thigh, "I am sure you already know what to expect next. You should have already removed your clothing, as soon as you are finished I can began treating you."

He doesnt say a word, doesn't even give her time to turn before he is stripping, commanding her gaze with his. Typical Erudite bitch, cold and uncaring, though Eric is surprised when she doesn't turn around, a slow smirk curling his lips when he catches the spark of defiance in the green of her eyes, "Its not everyday you get to see men like me, huh, Erudite?"

At first she says nothing, settleing herself in a low stool by his bed, a silver tray spread beside her. She pulls on a pair of off white gloves and then administers a local anesthetic near the wound, "You are still going to experience pain from this procedure, but it will be dramatically reduced by the serum I gave you. As for your question, as of late, men like you have been a dime a dozen."

Before Eric can respond Ava has already begun the process of removing the bullet, his teeth gritting tightly in anger and pain. She didn't even give the serum time to start working, he realizes, when the extreme pain starts to dull out just as a metallic clang sounds in the metal dish atop the silver tray, "Bitch." He grits out, looking down to meet her eyes. She wants to smile, he can tell, but she doesn't, "How the fuck did you get a nurses position?"

"There was once a time I believed in what I do. Now I do only what is expected of me."

"Abusing your patients, I am sure, is not what is expected of you. I can have you killed for this. I can kill you for this." Eric sneers, his steely gaze watching her darkly as she applies a cold cream to the injury, mumbling something about cutting the healing process in half, and applying a simple bandaging, "Look at me when I speak to you, Erudite."

Her gaze snaps to his, a controlled fire burning in the emerald of her eyes, "You don't have authority over me, and I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything to warrant a death sentence. Stop being a fucking baby." Ava snarls, removing her gloves with a snap, discarding them in a waste basket, "The area probably feels well right now, but the serum will wear off quickly. I'll have Dr. Donnelly get you a prescription for an oral pain reliever and an antibiotic. Refrain from rigorous physical activity for a couple days, stay off it for a bit."

Eric's eyes narrowed on the nurse, his hand snapping around her wrist when she turns to leave, "What makes you think I don't have authority over you? I have a lot more power then you think little girl. You should watch yourself, your attitude is suspicious, maybe I should take you in as a suspected divergent." The tone of his voice dripped of malice and promise.

Ava takes a sharp breath at his words, knowing for her own safety to give in and give to Eric the fear and submission he wanted. His grip, while harsh and violent, goes unnoticed as she stares into his steely eyes, his voice replaying over and over in her head. She knew he could do it, but what terrified her the most was that she knew he _would_ do it, "My apologies for speaking out of turn, sir." She bows her head a bit, but is cruelly jerked forward, upper body colliding with a hard chest and her thighs slamming into the steel frame of the exam table. Her head snapped up, eyes wide, to find Eric's face mere inch's from her own, "Sir?" She swallowed, believing absolutely that her life was on the line.

He isn't gentle with her, intentionally bruising the shape of his fingers into the flesh of her wrist. A growl is low in his throat as he takes in the fear that dulled the fire in her eyes into an indistinguishable glow. He was a little disappointed she hadn't fought him more, but satisfied she acknowledged her place, "_Apologies for speaking out of turn,_" he repeats with mock humor, "Anything else you would like to add to that?"

Ava wants to vomit, snarl, crawl under a rock, and fight all at once. Her anger is great, her fear much greater, and her pride a bitter, jagged rock to swallow, "I am greatly sorry I intentionally caused you pain during treatment." She was stiff, her voice was stiff. She didn't mean it, she feared he could see that, but even if there were a gun to her head she couldn't say it with sincerity.

"You're a shitty liar." His hand had released her wrist but now had a grasp on her shoulder, her white lab coat bunched in his hold. He forces her back slightly, gaze roving over the hospital badge clipped to the pocket over her left breast, then pulls her back with force, "Ava Storm. Johnathan Storm's daughter? Who would have ever guessed his daughter would have grown up to be an idiot?" Then jeer is hurtful and he sees it when she flinches, not at being called an idiot. No. But at the mention of a certain scientist who'd defected factionless several years ago.

"Don't talk about my father." She cannot stop the words from falling from her lips, nor can she stop herself from pulling from his grasp. It only serves to get her jerked painfully forward again and she contemplates digging a finger into the circular injury she had just treated. Only the threat looming over her head giving her the strength to control the desire, a hand palm down on his chest to brace herself, the other balled at her side, hanging just near the aforementioned wound "Release me, Dauntless, there are others who need to be treated."

"Ohhh, hit a nerve have I? Brought the fire right back." He smirks, knowing she can feel his breath on her face, "Maybe you are divergent." Eric says slyly, the glint in his eye clouding the blue in an omnious gray.

"Stop saying that." Ava says lowly,her chin tilted up to meet Eric's gaze. He was taller then her by a great deal and the elevated table did nothing to lessen the height advantage. If she were to stare straight ahead she could intimately study the dark tattoos stained on Eric's neck. She wants to say terrible things to the man who was holding her hostage but she bites her tongue, tasting the metallic tang of blood flood over her taste buds, "Sir I have had a stressful day, the pods have had non stop traffic since I checked in. I am tired and frustrated, and I am afraid I've taken it out on you. I am very sorry and no longer wish to waste your time," she pauses momentarilly, gauging the storm in Eric's eyes, noting it starting to calm. She slowly retracts her hand from his chest, almost afraid of him lashing out at sudden movement, "If you will, sir, please release me and allow me to finish my duties."

He holds her stare, only breaking it to watch the hand that had been burning and trembling against him drop to Ava's side, balling into a fist just like the other one. He found it peculiar, intriguing, suspicious indeed. Dragging his eyes back to hers he slowly lets go of the fabric of her lab coat, his lips curled upwards in a smile that made Ava shudder. Good girl, be afraid, he silently thinks. She doesn't move right away, so he slips his hands under the flaps of the white coat, tugging sharply to pull the bunched cloth at her shoulder back into place, "You can go. But I want you to personally deliver my medication," he regards her with a mocking glare as she takes several steps away from him, "Make it fast."

Her eyes roll when she is turned away from him, she hates that she can feel her body shaking, ashamed she had let him scare her so easily. Divergent. If he knew how right he was she would be dead on the spot. Five years ago when Ava took her aptitude test she had gotten a terrifying result, but one she cleverly kept concealed. There is no better place to hide then in plain sight, and to be frank, before conspiracies came to light, Ava enjoyed what she did. And books were a big thing for her, she loved to read. To leave now, even though the danger had doubled, she would have nothing. She would have no one.

Relief floods over her when the pod door closes behind her and only the echo of her pristine white heels sounded in the bright hallway. Things had considerably slowed down, there were no longer flashes of blue and bodies stained with blood in every direction. Her stop at the nurses station is brief, another girl who had been in her initiation class, and then in her medical practice, was sitting at the desk, looking as exhausted as Ava felt. The sympathy in Ember's eyes doesn't go unnoticed, but Ava disregards it. Someone had to take one for the team, right? "If Lionel asks where I've gone, please tell him I've gone to the pharmacy to fetch our Dauntless guest his medications."

"The order is in the system?" The blonde, blue eyed Erudite nurse asked, at Ava's nod she gave a tired smile, "Dr. Donnelly is in surgery right now, so I will have the file sent to Dr. Jordan, he will approve the prescriptions for you. I'm sure they'll be ready by the time you get there."

"Thank you Ember." Ava returns her smile with one of her own, before making her way to the elevators. The sooner she got those prescriptions, the sooner she could get Eric out of the hospital, and hopefully out of the Erudite district completely. The man was a beast, a wild creature. His reputation certainly preceded him and she never wanted contact with him again. Though she tells herself she wouldn't mind seeing him in terrible pain, at the mercy of another. It would suit him, certainly.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Im having fun writing this, I've been out of the game for a long time and I am happy to connect with writing again! Its always been a passion of mine. Anyways! This story is going by the movie version of Divergent so every bodies favorite characters look like the actors that portrayed them. I'll also warn that I've never read the books, I caught the movie one night and then that was it, I got hooked lol. Hope you guys enjoy! Feedback is encouraging and good incentive to continue.

Her body burned while she twisted in her sheets, cold sweat coating her skin in a sheen. She sat abruptly, her breath shallow, her heart racing in her chest. She knew right away she was hot with fever. On shaking legs Ava crosses her darkened room into a bathroom, fingers automatically finding the switch to the light. White light slowly grew to a nearly blinding capacity, tired green eyes staring themselves down in a mirror propped above the sink. Her long red hair was a damp mess, strands clinging to her forehead, neck, and shoulders. Almost robotically she fills a clear glass with water from the facuet, never breaking the gaze she holds with herself even as she brings the drink to her lips, hand trembling with the effort.

Her head pounded as she recalled her nightmare. Always the same, not so much a dream as a recollection. Memories of her father - always a stern man but kind hearted beneathe a hardened facade - but most importantly the memory of losing him. The confusion it had wrought. She hadn't even been ten yet, a wide eyed ambitious child. Back then it was impossible for her to understand, no one would talk to her about it. Not her mother, not her older sister, not her aunts, or her uncles, not even the damn psychotherapist would say a word. It took many years for Ava to understand the choice Johnathan Storm had made. It was not an easy one, he left behind everything for nothing because he couldn't be okay with what his research was used for.

Nor could he have been okay with his family seeing him executed. And that was why he chose what he chose. Erudite had befallen corruption that dated back before Jeanine Matthew's power trip, but it was the election of the current Erudite leader that had set her father down the path that led to his choice. And now, more then ever, Ava wanted to follow in his footsteps. Looking into her own eyes, tired, emptier then she could have ever imagined, she realizes she is killing herself. Slowly syphoning out every bit of her own will, twisting and warping herself to conform to a way she far from agreed with.

The drum in her head echoed and she slid open a drawer, a pill bottle containing aspirin was her reasoning for doing so, plucking three round pills out she takes them in one swallow. Her eyes return to her reflection and suddenly she realizes the pounding isn't coming entirely from inside her head. A deep feeling of dread sets in, an unwelcome echo of Eric's voice from a few nights prior in the back of her mind. Had he turned her in? Was Erudite under attack? She played through every possible scenario as she crossed into a small living area to the door. She jumped when a heavy hand smacked against the otherside once more.

"Wait, hold on." She urges, retrieving a slender knife from the top shelf of a bookcase, it was small, but sharp, cold in her warmed skin. The pounding became more insistant, "Who is it?" She demands, now pressed against the door, the hand free of the knife pressed behind her back flicks on the ceiling light.

"Open the fucking door."

Eric. Ice ran through her viens, her color already paled with illness turned an ashen grey, mimicking the color of death. She opens the door despite herself, greeted with the sight of the one man in the entire city Ava could honestly say she hated as much as Jeanine, and that was only after meeting him once. "Eric, what are-" he pushes passed her with little regard, as if he were walking into his own home. She stumbles from the impact, a surprised yelp escaping her lips, "What the hell are you doing?!" This time nothing stops her from speaking, green eyes wild with anger and fear.

Eric turns to face the enraged woman, his eyes scanning every inch of her while she stood in the still open doorway. She looked sick, he realized, her skin pale and aglow with sweat, dressed in white shorts, a white tank top. She had dark rings under her eyes, and upon closer inspection was clutching a knife in her hand. Maybe she wasn't an idiot after all, "Planning on using that?" He inquires, raising his pierced brow, "If not, shut the damn door and put it down."

He watches her expectantly, she doesn't move for a long while, processing the situation at hand, brain muddled by fever. She wisely chooses to close her door, carefully placing her knife down on the stand closest to her. Eric was standing in the space that separated her living quarters from the kitchen, every bit as pompous as he had been three nights ago, "What is this?"

His lips curl upwards in a devious smirk, his hands clasped in front of him in a resting stance, "I suppose we'll just get right to it then," he starts, watching Ava sway a bit on her feet, "What was your aptitude test result?" His smirk widens when her color instantly worsens, panic entering her eyes.

"Those results are confidential, I don't need to tell you." Her voice is hard despite the terror she felt grabbing at her from every direction. She had done this, if she had left when she still had the chance, if she had just let go of her ridiculous fears, this wouldn't be happening. She tries to stand straight, her head swimming. She had to sit, dark edges were swarming her vision. As afraid of Eric as she is, she moves passed him to the small dining table.

"You're right, you don't have to tell me." His voice is calm, she feels him move more then she sees him, unable to focus. He comes up behind her chair, leaning down over her, palms flat on the surface of the tabletop, "I already know it anyways. A manual entry, hm?" He prods, face directly beside her own, almost cheek to cheek. He could feel the heat radiating off of her, it was searing, seeping into his own flesh, "Erudite makes perfect sense. Your father was a coward, but a brilliant scientist, your mother is one of the best surgeons of her time. Its easy for you to fit in here. But you don't belong, do you Ava?"

"If I am meant to die, please get it over with. Your games are not worth playing." Her voice trembles, "My fear is not for you to feast on any longer."

"Are you confessing Ms. Storm?" He turns his head, their skin now in full contact. He was enjoying himself, maybe a little to much, but he needed to hear it from her mouth. Eric had known Johnathon Storm, many years ago before he was Dauntless, just a boy being conditioned for a soilders mission. The doctor that would slide a lollipop out from the inside of his lab coat sleeve and press it under the single pillow he had been allowed on his cot.

"I..." Ava shakes, pressing her cheek further against his, almost taking comfort in the cool feel of his skin on her enflamed skin, even the scratch of his stubble served to distract her from the heat that threatened to consume her. It takes her time to get a grasp on herself again, her back stiffening as she set her face in stone, green eyes staring straight ahead. She would not go out a coward, "Erudite." She says sharply, "And _Dauntless_." The faction name falls off her tongue in a disgusted drawl, "And Amity."

Eric moves away from her then, he knows she expects him to shoot her, just the way she stares ahead, her posture straight. _Dauntless indeed_, he thinks to himself, "You need to get in the shower, cold, your temperature is at an unsafe level."

To say Ava is surprised is an understatement, but she doesn't embrace his words. There was an ulterior motive, Eric was just playing with her, he liked to toy with the head. She shifts in the chair to find his form leaning against a kitchen counter, arms crossed, watching her with something unrecognizable in his eyes, "I know how to treat a fever." she says numbly, trying to get a read on the Dauntless leader, malice, anger, cruelty, anything, but he remains unreadable until his eyes darken.

"Exercising those talents isn't your strong suit is it?" He seems to hiss, "Get in that shower, Ava, or I'll make you." Promise overlaid his words.

She is dumbfounded, but she doesn't protest. He watches her like a hawk when she retreats into her bedroom, even when she knows she is out of sight, behind her locked bathroom door she still feels like his eyes are on her. Nothing was making any sense at the time, but she was to tired and to hot to even care anymore. The cold spray is a jolt to alertness and an instant relief on her burning skin. She stays in until she can no longer bare the cold, and is before long trudging back into her kitchen where Eric now sat at her table, having helped himself to the wine in her fridge, "Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

"Take the damn pills on the counter and shut up. Go to sleep, we're leaving in the morning."

"Excuse me?" Ava's tone is incredulous as she advances towards the table, "Leave? Where? _Why_?"

His gaze is dark when it finds hers, but he is both pleased and angered that it didn't make her backdown. He was going to have to explain himself, she was confused and wouldn't be compliant unless she had some understanding. It was a Erudite trait that Eric himself could never shake, "Look, you aren't dumb, you know what the fuck is going on out there and you are not safe here."

"Why would you care? If this is some sort of elaborate ploy that will end in my death, skip it. I am divergent, you are my enemy, its your job to put a bullet in my head."

"Stop being so damn dramatic, Ava. I know what I am, I know what I have done, and I know what I have to do now. It starts with getting you out from under Jeanine's nose."

"By putting me directly under it?" She snorts, earning her a scathing look from Eric that unsettles her greatly, "Let's pretend like I believe you for a second, where the hell are we going to go? You're going to become a walking target the second Jeanine realizes you've turned coat."

"Doesn't make me all that much different from you then, now does it?" Eric bites back, daring her to continue challenging him with his eyes, "I told you all I'm willing to give tonight. Take the fucking pills and go to bed."

She eyes him for only a moment longer, realizing she would get nothing else from him now, and no longer possessing the energy to pry. With a sigh Ava takes the fever reducers and starts towards her bedroom, "There are pillows and a blanket in the closet. Couch is all yours."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ava." Eric watches her stir in her bed, the Erudite nurse still locked within sleeps comforting lull. The turn is all he gets before she becomes still again, he leans down over her, the bed sinking slightly from the pressure of his hands on it, distantly he could feel the bullet hole in his thigh throb, "Ava." He repeated more firmly, face directly above hers, lips twisting up into a smirk when her eyes snap open. Sleep is replaced by unmistakable terror before the events of the previous night seem to come back to her.

Fright, followed by remembrance, and then anger washes over Ava. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her hands balled into fists at her side as she looked up at Eric, "Your proximity is disconcerting and inappropriate, please get out of my room."

"No." Eric replies, enjoying the twisting of emotion in the green of her eyes. Her fire was strong, it was to bad she hadn't chosen Dauntless, she would have been fun to break during initiation, "We need to leave. Now."

It is then that Ava looks around her room, noting the dawn light just beginning to flood in through the blinds. Her nails were digging bloody crescents into the palm of her hand as she controlled an almost unbearable urge to deliver a sharp slap to the side of Eric's face. A reddened hand print would look good there, her mark on him whereas she still bore the ugly bruise of his mark around her wrist. She settled for rolling in the opposite direction of him, tossing her legs over the side of her bed, fingers rubbing gentle circles into her temple, "Where are we going?" She mumbles derisively. She saught out the heat she felt the night before and was pleased the fever had broke.

"We aren't playing twenty questions right now." Eric says from behind her. He moves across the floor, his boots heavy against the wood. He watches Ava turn to follow him with her eyes, one of her hands threaded through her unruly hair. Her interest settles on the bag he rummages through extracting dark clothing from within, and carelessly tossing it at her, "Put these on, skirts and heels aren't going to help you at all out there."

With an indignant sigh, Ava grabs the clothing, examining the black pants and long sleeved sweater. The jacket however made her snap her eyes back in Eric's direction, "I can't pose as a Dauntless." She says with a sneer, "Anyone in Erudite that sees me is going to know who I am."

"That is why no one will be seeing us." Eric informs, speaking as if she should have already known that, "Stop stalling, Erudite. Get dressed, we are leaving now."

Ava wants to protest but she is looking at Erics retreating form before she can even open her mouth. She was flustered now, angry that he kept giving her orders, angry that she kept following them, and angry that she couldn't even begin to understand the puzzle at hand. Despite all of that there was still a tickling of excitement in the pit of her stomach...she was leaving Erudite and would probably never come back. She had fought against her desire to leave for so long, and now a ruthless Dauntless leader was pretty much forcing her to do what she had wanted to do, long before she knew who he was.

When she is dressed, she takes a moment to adapt to the odd feeling of the tight pants that hugged her lower body from her hips down. Movement was fluid, unrestricted. The sweater was thin tight, and dipped down lower then anything Ava had ever worn. She felt like a different person in the clothes she wore, her eyes lingering on the lab coat hung on an armoire door longer then necessary before turning and leaving her bedroom of five years behind. Her eyes meet Eric's instantly, a moment of silence while his eyes roam over her in a way that makes her uncomfortable, "Take your hair out, you look to much like yourself."

Her eyes narrow and she is rough on herself, violently untwisting her red hair from the elegant bun it had been in and whipping the rubberband in Eric's direction. The projectile doesn't even make it halfway towards its intended target, not that she had any illusion that it would, "Who else am I supposed to look like? It shouldn't matter anyway, no one is going to see us, _right_?" Her voice is full of malice, but the murder in her eyes doesn't even phase Eric.

His smirk is meant to infuriate and it does its job nicely, Eric appreciating the way her breasts heaved in anger with her uneven breathing. She looked exactly as he'd imagined she would in Dauntless attire, her red hair around her in waves that would never be accepted in Erudite, not prim or proper enough, "Get those boots on, you're taking to much time." He expects her to lash out again but she doesn't, moving stiffly to pull on the heavy boots, "You can move faster then that."

"Shut up Eric! Just shut up!" She snarls, fastening the last pair of laces into a tight knot, "I'm making a really stupid decision right now, and against better judgment I am going to try to trust you."

"You don't have any choice but to trust me, Ava." Eric says flippantly, his eyes mocking her. He gets serious again, his eyes turning steely, "We'll eat when we are on the train."

"Train? They don't stop..." Ava thought aloud, panic gripping at her. He didn't honestly think she could jump did he? "I am not going anywhere." She suddenly says, Eric's eyes narrowing dangerously, "Not until you tell me where we are going."

"We are going to Amity." Is Eric's answer, his voice low in his throat, teeth grit in anger, "Enough stalling, let's go."

"I can't do this." Ava's voice is soft as she stands on the platform, her eyes looking passed Eric at the train in the distance, closing the space between itself and the platform too quickly.

"Don't think, just do." Eric instructs, his body tensing as he prepared for what he was going to have to do. He was starting to doubt his plan as he looked at Ava's frightened eyes. She had to be able to do this. If a stiff could pull this off, Ava should be just fine. At least that is what he told himself. She had fire but it was subdued, she wasn't Dauntless, not in the way Tris was. The thought of the Abnegation divergent brought anger to his eyes and he had to force himself to rein it in, "Get ready to run."

"I just said I can't do this." Ava repeated, more firm this time as she looks at Eric.

"Okay." Eric replies with a shrug, "Then don't do it. You can stay here." He turns his body on the platform, the sounds of the train filling the air as it drew near. He started running without even regarding the Erudite. The pain in his leg was excruciating, it took everything to force the feeling into numbness as he moved. Without a hitch he pulled himself onto the train car, his palm flat on the door panel, the heavy metal sliding open to let him step inside. One hand still gripping the outer handle he crouched down and looked out. Ava was running, pushing herself hard. He glanced up, realizing she had very little time to catch up, "Let's go Ava." He demands with a harsh tone.

Her chest is tight while she runs, her lungs protesting viciously within her ribs. She doesn't think she can do it and it's nothing but a surprise when she's taking hold of Eric's outstretched hand, the other grasping desperately at the handle on the car to help pull herself up and she is being pulled into the train with a harsh jerk. She stumbles and falls to her hands and knees panting, heart racing. A laugh escapes her lips but it is one of hysteria as she falls over and lays on the cold metal ground. When her heart no longer feels like its about to explode she slowly pulls herself up into a seated position and finds Eric.

He is resting by the now closed door, a knee drawn up with an arm slung over it, the other stretched out fully. He had discarded the bag he carried on the floor, his blue eyes locked on Ava's form. She was disheleved, a wild look in her eyes, "Not bad Erudite." He comments.

"Screw you!" She snaps, "That was stupid and dangerous and-"

"Shut up." Eric interrupts, his tone leaving no room for argument, "You aren't dead not even injured, stop complaining. You can't really say you didn't enjoy that rush, can you?"

"Nothing about that was enjoyable." Ava replies, her breathing reaching a calm, "I didn't choose Dauntless, because I am not fucking Dauntless!"

"Not yet anyway." Eric's smirk is unrestrained, the double meaning in his words meant to rile her more and he is rewarded with a glare that would slice him to pieces if it had the power. It is immensely satisfying to know he could get under her skin so easily, "Besides, that dirty mouth of yours suggests otherwise, Erudite do not speak like that."

A glare is all Ava can muster as she moves around a bit, finding a comfortable spot. He was right, she couldn't deny it. A mild curse here and there was common, but highly frowned upon. Her mother used to say that using that kind of language was a reflection of a lazy vocabulary, utter horseshit, but whatever floats the Erudite boat. Silence befalls the sole occupants on the old train car, Ava's mind turning to Amity. She had an aptitude for Amity but she regarded and thought about it as much as she did her Dauntless result, next to never. That was where her sister, Helena, was.

Helena would be twenty six by now. Ava hadn't seen her in years, not since she had her visiting day during Erudite initiation. Helena had showed, happy and bright and excited to see the sister she had left behind, but Ava had not been to receptive. Faction before blood, and as a divergent Ava had to embrace it or risk exposure. Not one of her proudest moments, in fact it had broken her heart, "My sister is Amity..."

Eric had watched Ava as she disappeared into her mind. The way the light in her eyes shut off was clear indication she had momentarily left herself. Flickers of emotion would flit across her face at random intervals. Once they got to Amity things were going to get rough, Eric wasn't going to have a problem with the locals, it was those hiding among them that would be an issue. Four and Tris, whom he knew would be there, were not going to be welcoming, "Yeah, I know that." Eric replies, "Don't look so surprised, I've had a few days to get my research done."

"You are unbelievable." Ava shakes her head and when she speaks again her voice is full of annoyance and accusation, "That's how you knew these damn clothes would fit, you had access to all of my records."

"I had access to a lot of things. That's how I got your residence," He studies her for a moment, a wicked glint in his eyes, "But I didn't have to look at your growth chart to figure out your size. I got a pretty good idea when I had you between my legs."

Ava stares at him before she speaks, managing to keep a blank face, "You're a pig."

"I am a man." Eric grins at the stone faced Erudite, a hand grabbing the bag and extracting a couple of cereal bars. He throws hers at her with unneeded force, watching it smack her square in the chest, her eyes and hands scrambling for the offending object.

"You're an ass." Ava grinds out, her hands working to open the packaging, biting and chewing the cereal bar with anger, never breaking her harsh glare on Eric, who only seemed amused. The bastard. "Are you going to tell me why you're doing this? I'm beginning to think this is some form of torture with an unclear objective. I fail to see any reasoning for this."

Eric looks at Ava with a darkening glare. He wasn't ready to tell her the whole story. Explain to her every detail of Jeanine's plans and how they had begun in a lab with Johnathan Storm present, almost two decades ago. He told himself this was how he would secure a future, how he would survive. The moment Ava had walked into that pod and her eyes met his he had recalled the last conversation shared between himself and her father, he had only been eleven years old, the day before the renowned scientist vanished. It had been one of many off record, completely against the rules, like the lollipops had been.

It had ended in one simple order, hidden in Eric's mind from prying sources by a serum Dr. Storm had developed. _When the time comes, protect my children._ Even if it meant defecting. Eric made his choice when it became glaringly obvious Ava was divergent. He was loyal to Johnathon Storm before he was loyal to Jeanine Matthews, leaving him with only one option to choose and only one reason as to why. "Time will tell you everything you need to know." Ava snorts and Eric sneers, "Don't like it? Jump off the fucking train."

This time Ava throws the rest of her cereal bar at him, getting to her feet with haste, "_I hate you_." She hisses, satisfied that the bar had hit his shoulder. She stomps away from him, towards the opposite end of the car.

"Very mature." Eric rolls his eyes, watching her as she leans against the wall near one of the small square windows, watching the city roll by. Ava Storm was going to be a pain in the ass, with a slow smirk turning his lips he knows he is going to enjoy playing with that fire. Knocking the discarded cereal bar away from him, Eric leans his head back. It was going to be a long ride.


End file.
